Public concern about air quality and the federal air laws have created a large demand for low emission vehicles. One form of a low emission vehicle is an electric vehicle, and the first electric powered vehicles employed transmissions that received power from a source of stored electrical energy, such as a battery. Energy from the battery powered an electric motor which, in turn, drove the wheels of the vehicle through a transmission. When the charge on the battery was expended, there was no more energy available, and the vehicle could not move on its own until the battery was recharged. In order to extend the range of such vehicles, an engine and a generator were incorporated to convert a fossil fuel into electrical energy. Typically, the engine would drive the generator, and the resulting electrical energy was directed either to the battery, so that it might be recharged, or to one or more electrical motors that could assist in driving the vehicle wheels. This type system is designated as a series, hybrid propulsion system.
In short, a series, hybrid system is a system in which energy follows a path from an engine to an electric storage device and then to an electrical motor which applies power to rotate the wheels. There is no direct mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels in a series, hybrid propulsion system.
Series, hybrid propulsion systems for vehicles are generally provided with a low-power engine for minimum emissions and high fuel economy. Such systems are inefficient when the vehicle requires high-average output power or operates at continuous constant speeds. Moreover, high efficiency is not available when the vehicle is required to climb steep grades or when the vehicle must sustain high-average cruising speeds. It is also recognized that the series, hybrid transmission requires sizable motor/generators and must be available in a wide variety of motor sizes so that a motor may be individually selected to provide the requisite power for specific vehicle weights and anticipated loads.
The challenge is to provide a power system that will operate at high efficiencies over a wide variety of operating conditions. Desirable electric variable transmissions should leverage the benefits of a series, hybrid transmission for desirable low-average power duty cycles--i.e.: low speed start/stop duty cycles--as well as the benefits of a parallel hybrid transmission for high-average output power, high speed duty cycles.
Transmissions adapted to receive the output power from either an engine or an electric motor, or both, have heretofore relied largely on what has been designated as series, hybrid propulsion systems. Such systems are designed with auxiliary power units (APU's) of relatively low power for minimum emissions and best fuel economy. However, such systems using a small APU and a large energy storage device will not accommodate high-average power vehicles or address city duty cycles that demand continuous constant speed operation. Steep grades and sustained high-average cruising speeds at desired high efficiencies are not achievable with a typical, series, hybrid transmission configuration.
Moreover, perfecting a concept wherein two modes or gear trains are available for synchronous selection by the on-board computer to transmit power from the engine and/or the motor/generator to the output shaft, results in a hybrid transmission having an extremely wide range of applications.